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1
Belfast Love
548 King West, 416-363-2223, donnellygroup.ca, @belfastlovepub
This hopping King West party pub opened by Vancouver-based hospitality empire the Donnelly Group doesn’t mark up the essentials. Negronis are $10, Fitzgeralds (stiff gin sours dashed with Angostura bitters) are $9, and fruitier favourites like Paper Planes and mai tais are still affordable at $11.
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2
Good Fortune Bar
130 Eglinton E, Toronto, Ontario130 Eglinton East, 647-351-2130, facebook.com/goodfortunebar
Uptown Generation Z-ers, rejoice: Good Fortune has been bestowed upon you. Nothing will help you forget about that questionable psychology grade like a new-fashioned brain freeze courtesy of a boozy milkshake ($10) made with the company’s Sweet Jesus soft serve. If that’s not filling enough, grab snacks at the bar or head upstairs to the city’s shiniest, newest La Carnita. Just save room for a cocktail jello shot ($5).
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3
Earls Kitchen + Bar – King W
150 King West, #100, 416-916-0227, earls.ca, @earlsrestaurant
Even corporate mega-restaurants have drinkable cocktails now. What a time to be alive. You could drink here on the cheap every night of the week if you wanted to the up side of big box restaurants is that they can afford to curb markups in the interest of volume. So whether it’s margaritas or Palomas on a Monday ($5) or $2 off signature cocktails on a Thursday, Earl’s makes it easy to part with your OSAP dollars. Proceed with caution.
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4
The Lakeview
1132 Dundas West, 416-850-8886, thelakeviewrestaurant.ca, @Lakeview_Lunch
If you’re a student, the Lakeview is likely not news to you – or anyone else who’s ever been drunk or hungover in downtown Toronto. Here’s my seasoned advice: taking advantage of $3 mimosas and $4 Caesars is a rite of passage. (There’s cheap beer, too.)
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5
Farmhouse Tavern
1627 Dupont, 416-561-9114, farmhousehospitality.tumblr.com, @farmhousetavern
It’s time for initiation. Every Sunday, the Farmhouse Tavern hosts the best power specials in the city. Kicking off at 3 pm with $3 mimosas, various food and drink is deeply discounted every hour until 10 pm: $4 Caesars at 4 pm, $7 cocktails at 7 pm, etc. In order to fully participate in the local mini-tradition known as F*ck Mondays, I’d recommend choosing a class schedule that eases you tenderly into the week.
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6
Maple Leaf Tavern
955 Gerrard East, 416-465-0955, mapleleaftavern.ca, @MapleLeafTavern
Practise being a tasteful adult at this gorgeous renovated east-side relic, where the cocktails are simple, tasty and affordable. The house Pisco Punch (pisco, spiced pineapple, lime, sparkling wine) runs you $9, along with my personal fave, the Garibaldi (Campari and fresh whipped orange juice). Other cocktails range from $11 to $14. Once you’re done, head across the street to Pinkerton’s (1026 Gerrard East, @ChefPinkerton), a laid-back and reasonably priced snack and cocktail bar.
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7
AFT Kitchen & Bar
686 Queen East, 647-346-1541,aftbar.com, @aft_bar
Riverside’s cozy locale for whiskey and BBQ offers sweet deals on house cocktails every day of the week. Bourbon sours, whiskey-laced sweet teas and spiked smoked peach Arnold Palmers are only $6 till 6 pm. (FYI, Aft opens at 11 am daily.) Order a snack so you can hit the rest of the night running.
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8
Track & Field Bar
860 College, Toronto, Ontario860 College, trackandfieldbar.com,@trackfieldbar
As if octogenarian games like bocce and shuffleboard in a windowless party bar weren’t enough to lure millennials, Track & Field keeps its cocktail list reasonable with $10 Negronis, house sangria, boozy iced teas and Porch Crawlers (yes, that’s the familiar freshman combo of vodka, beer and pink lemonade) available on tap.
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9
The Slip
235 Queens Quay W, Toronto, Ontario235 Queens Quay West,theslip.ca, @theslipto
A massive waterfront patio, fried snacks, $10 margaritas and Paper Planes – what more could you possibly need to numb a case of back-to-school malaise? Attached to the Harbourfront Centre, The Slip is the spot to get your fill of late summer sunshine and draft cocktails with a view.
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10
Grand Electric
1330 Queen West, 416-627-3459, grandelectrictoronto.com, @grandelectricto
Parkdale’s popular wallet-friendly taco joint is almost always rammed, and not just because of the bourbon-packed back bar and Mexican-ish street food. Only a handful of the house cocktails wiwll run you more than $10 (Caesars are $11, Palomas and Bourbonades are $10.50). Everything else, from GE’s vanilla bourbon sour to a mint julep, costs $10 or less.
Back to school: Where to drink on a budget
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